Outboard motor lock

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an improved locking device for preventing the theft, and/or the accidental dislodgment during use, of outboard motors. The device consists of a one piece, slotted tubular member which is adapted to slide over and to engage and lock against movement the heads of the clamp screws for the motor supporting bracket. This tubular member is provided with a series of aligned holes adapted to receive the shackle of a padlock or equivalent locking means, in such manner that removal of the tubular member from locking engagement with the heads of the clamping screws is effectively prevented.

United States Patent 1191 I I '11 1 ,808,851

Kargus et al. I May 7, 1974 OUTBOARD MOTOR LOCK 1945.

[76] Inventors: Eugene H. Kargus, 747 London St.;

Joseph Zolkoske 928 Thlrd Primary ExaminerJoseph H. McGlynn both ofMenasha 54952 Assistant ExaminerRichard P. Tremblay [22] Filed; Apr, 10,1972 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Paul J. Glaister [21] Appl. No.: 242,584

57 ABSTRACT [52] US. Cl. 70/232 1 Int. Cl. The invention relates to animproved locking device [58] Field of Search 70/14 for preventing thetheft, and/or the accidental dislodg- 70/232 ment during use, ofoutboard motors. The device consists of a one piece, slotted tubularmember which is [56] References Cited adapted to slide over and toengage and lock against UNIT STATES PATENTS movement the heads of theclamp screws for the 2,984,096 5/1961 Putman etal 70/232 motorsupporting bracket. This tubular member is 3,693,383 9/1972 providedwith a series of aligned holes adapted to re- 2,556,90 5 ceive theshackle of a padlock or equivalent locking 1,169,557 1/1916 means, insuch manner that removal of the tubular 23791006 4/1942 member fromlocking engagement with the heads of 3,422,570 l/l969 Vorst et al.24/262 UX the p g screws is effectively prevented OTHER PUBLICATIONS NewTube Extractor", p. 20, Aero Products, Sept. 1 Claim, 9 Drawing FiguresPATENTEDm 11914 SHEET 2 OF 2 l l l 7" FIG. 8

OUTBOARD MOTOR LOCK The present invention as indicated in the foregoingis concerned with the provision of an improved locking device for usewith outboard motors. Outboard motors by their very nature areinherently portable, and large numbers of these motors are stolen eachyear. Some also become loosened or dislodged during use and this mayresult in personal injury, damage to the boat or even loss of the motor.

To avoid theft many boat owners use complicated or cumbersome chain andpadlock arrangements, which are inconvenient to use and not alwayseffective. Also, a number of locking devices have been proposed by priorinventors. These, however, are also complicated and/or expensive tobuild, and none has either proven suitable or acceptable for theintended use.

The principal object of the present invention, therefore, is to providean improved locking device for preventing the theft of outboard motors,and especially a locking device for this purpose that shall be simple indesign, that shall be inexpensive to manufacture, that shall be easy touse and that shall be reliable and effective as a lock.

Further objects of the invention include the provision of an improvedoutboard motor locking device in accordance with the aforesaid principleobject that will consist of only one piece and that will fit and can beused with most of the outboard motors presently on the market.

These and other objects and various further advantages of the inventionwill be made more apparent in the accompanying drawings and thefollowing description of a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings, I

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, side elevational view showing the manner inwhich the outboard motor locking device of the invention is used toprevent the unauthorized removal of an outboard motor from a boat, adisplay stand or other location,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the Iockingdevice shown in use in FIG.1,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, end elevational view of the locking device,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, sectional view on the line 44 of FIG. 2, I

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the general line 55 of FIG. 1. Aportion of the lock structure has been cut away to better illustrate therelationship of the various parts,

FIG. 6 is an end elevational view of the structure shown in FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an auxiliary locking ring that can beused in conjunction with the locking device of the invention to provide,under certain circumstances, a somewhat more secure lock,

FIG. 8 is a sectional view, similar to FIG. 5, showing the auxiliarylocking ring of FIG. 7 in use in conjunction with the locking device ofthe invention, and

FIG. 9 is an end elevational view of the combined lock and auxiliarylocking ring structure shown in FIG. 8.

Outboard motors, almost without exception, are provided with acombination bracket and screw clamp means for supporting the motor on,and for releasably attaching the motor to, the boat with which it is tobe used. A typical such support structure is shown in FIG. 1, and asthere illustrated, the motor support bracket 11 includes two, integrallyformed C-clamp units, 13, each of which is provided with a threadedclamping screw 15, designed to engage the stern board or transom 17 ofthe boat.

The clamp screws used in connection with the support brackets for mostof the more popular outboard motors are of about the same size and havesimilarly dimensioned, transversely extending, generally cylindricallyshaped head portions, as illustrated at 19 in the drawings. This is tofacilitate the easy tightening and loosening of these screws by hand.There is, however, some difference in the transverse spacing of theclamp screws, the dimension A of FIG. 5, as between the differing makesand even between different models in the same line.

Hence, an acceptable and useful outboard motor lock must be capable ofaccommodating itself automatically to this differing spacing, while atthe same time maintaining a secure and effective locking action. Both ofthese requirements are fully met by the one piece outboard motor lockingdevice of the invention.

That device, as illustrated particularly in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, consistsof an elongated, tubular body member 21, which preferably has the formof a hollow cylinder and which is provided with a longitudinallyextending slot 23 that is closed at one end. Conveniently the tubularlocking member 21 isfabricated of steel tubing one eighth to threesixteenths of an inch thick, but other suitable, structurally strongmaterials can be used.

' During use, the tubular member 21 is adapted to he slid over thetransversely extending, cylindrically shaped, head portions 19 of theclamp screws 15 used in conjunctionwith the motor support bracket 11.The head portions :19 will, of course, be located in substantialalignment with each other before the lock member 21 is slid into place.Adjustment of either or both head portions 19, if necessary, can beeffected by first sliding the tubular lock member 21 over only one headportion and then using the tubular lock member as a wrench to turneither or both of the heads 19 to the desired position. The capabilityof the locking device to be used as a wrench is also useful in effectingsecure attachment of the motor suport bracket to the boat structure orin loosening clamp screws which have become unduly hard to turn by hand.

Since most motor bracket clamp screws are not larger in diameter thanabout onehalf or seven sixteenths of an inch the slot 23 will have awidth of about five eighths of an inch. To fit most present daycommercial outboards Evinrude, Johnson, Mercury, etc. the tubular lock21 itself should be about twelve inches long, and it should have aninternal diameter of approximately 1 inch. This will receive with aneasy sliding fit the transverse head portions of the clamping screwsused on most outboards. Also, in order that the threaded shank portionsof the spaced clamp screws of the various makes and models may beentirely contained within the tubular lock 21, the slot 23 should have alength of not less than about ten and one half inches.

The tubular lock 21 is conveniently held in locking position by theshackle 27 of a padlock 25, or equivawith a series of sets of alignedholes 29, each about one fourth to five sixteenths of an inch indiameter.

Desirably, the two holes 29 in each set are positioned at the oppositeends of a transverse diameter of the ho]- low cylindrical lock member21, and as illustrated particularly in FIG. 4, that diameter, thediameter 31, is angularly spaced at an angle, the angle a, of from about30 to 90 from the diameter 33 which intersects the clamp screw receivingslot 23. This arrangement locates the shackle 27 of the padlock 25 inthe most effective position transversely of the central passageway inthe lock member '21, and relative to the head portions 19 of the clampscrew'l5, to prevent removal of the lock from locking engagement withthe ,clamp screws.

In the illustrated structure, there are three sets of the padlockshackle receiving holes 29, and these sets are spaced axially of thelock member at intervals of about 1% inches, with the first set beinglocated about three eighths of an inch from the open slot end of thelock member 21. Other spacings for the holes 19 can be used, and ininstances where the lock is to be used with one model line only, or evenwith one particular unit in a model line, the number of the sets of thepadlock shackle receiving holes can be reduced as appropriate. For -aunit which will fit most models of the various makes of outboards listedabove, the number of sets and the dimensions'stated above should befollowed;

When the locking device of the invention is being used, the hollowcylindrical locking member 21, as pre viously stated, is slipped intoplace over the axially aligned, transversely extending head portions 19of the two clamp screws 15, as shown particularly in FIGS. 1, 5 and 6.The slot 23 receives the threaded shank portions of the two,transversely spaced, clamp screws 15, as shown, and the closed end ofthe slot 23 should contact or nearly contact the side of the threadedshank portion of one of the clamp screws.

With the tubular locking member 21 so positioned, the shackle 27 of thepadlock 25 is passed through the aligned set of holes 29 that is outwardof the clamp screw nearest the open end of the slot 23, as close aspossible to the head of that clamp screw, ss shown particularly in FIG.5. Locking the padlock 25in this position will effectively preventremoval of the lock 21 and- /or loosening of the clamp screws 15, andwill thereby prevent the theft or other unauthorized removal, and- /orthe accidental dislodgment during use, of the outboard motor with whichthe locking device is used.

Particularly when the tubular lock 21 of the invention is utilized toprevent loosening of the motor supporting bracket clamp screws duringuse of an outboard motor, it may be desirable to coat at least the innersurface of the lock member 21 and the edges of the slot 23 with arubber-like or other plastic'coating. Such a coating will preventmechanical damage to the clamp screws and their threads, and willminimize the vibration and noise that might otherwise accompany use ofthe lock in conjunction with an operating motor.

A plastic coating of the type applied to the wire, drainage racks usedfor holding dishes in a kitchen sink is suitable, and a fragmentarysection of such a coating is illustrated at 35 in'FlG. 4. The coatingmay, if desired, extend over the entire surface of the tubular lock, andfor appearance or other reasons such as overall coating may beadvantageous.

The perspective view FIG. 7 illustrates a ring member 37 which can beused in conjunction with the locking device 21 of the invention as anauxiliary locking means, and FIGS. 8 and 9 show the member 37 in use forthis purpose. Generally, but not necessarily, this ring member will beslotted, and a slotted versionof the device will be describedhereinafter.

The form and the internal dimensions of the auxiliary locking ringmember 37 are such that that member will engage the hollow cylindricallocking member 21 with a free, sliding fit. Also, the dimensions of theslot 39 formed in the auxiliary ring member 37 are such that the slot 39will have the same width as, and can be brought into alignment with, theslot 23 in the associated locking member 21.

When'it is to be used, the auxiliary locking ring 37 will be slid overthe lock member 21, after that member has been placed in lockingposition on the motor clamp screws 15, with the slots 23 and 39 inalignment, to a position outside and adjacent the clamp screw 15 whichis farthest from the closed end of the slot 23. The locking ring 37 canthen be rotated to bring one of the sets of aligned holes 41 formedtherein into alignment with one of the sets of aligned holes 29 in themain locking member 21, and the'shackle 27 of the padlock 25 can then bepassed through both the auxiliary locking ring 37 and the main lockingmember 21, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. r

The holes 41 desirably are of about the same dimensions as the holes29in the main locking member 21, and they are similarly located at theopposite ends of transverse diameters which are'angularly spaced,similar to the diameter 31 of FIG. 4, from the diameter which intersectsthe center of the clamp screw receiving slot 23 formed in the lockmember 21. By virtue of this angular displacement of the axis of thesets of holes 29 and 41, proper rotation of the ring member 37 to bringcooperating sets of the holes 29 and 41 into alignment with each otherwill cause the ring member to extend across and to close the outer endof the slot 23 outside the outer clamp screw 15, as shown.

The cooperating sets of holes 41 are spaced lengthwise of thelongitudinal axis of the ring member 37, as illustrated in FIG. 7, atvarying distances which, in the illustrated embodiment, are respectivelyequal 'to about one half and three fourths the longitudinal spacing ofthe sets of holes 29. This arrangement facilitates the locating of theauxiliary locking ring 37 in close proximity to the shank of the clampscrew 15 which is nearer the open end of the slot 23. This can produce aresulting increase in the effectiveness and the security of the lockingaction. Further, the useful range of the locking device of the inventionmay be extended as a result of the increased flexibility of adjustmentmade possible by the use of the auxiliary locking ring 37 in conjunctionwith the hollow cylindrical locking device of the invention.

The slotted version of the auxiliary locking ring may also be usedinside the clampingscrews, under certain circumstances, to furtherextend the useful range of the lock means of the invention. Without theslot 39 the auxiliary ring can be used only outside the clamping screw15 which is nearer the open end of the slot 23.

The structure described in the foregoing provides an improved lockingdevice for preventing the'theft and- /or the unauthorized dislodgmentduring use of an outboard motor. The lock is of simple, inexpensive, onepiece construction, yet at the same time it can be used reliably andeffectively with most of the outboard motors-presently on the market.

We claim: 1

1. In combination, a locking device for outboard motors which consistsof a one piece, tubular locking member having the form of an elongated,hollow cylinder of such crosssectional dimensions that said tubularlocking member will receive with an easy sliding fit the transverse headportions of the two, transversely spaced, clamping screws whichconstitute a part of the support bracket for the outboard motor withwhich the locking device is to be used, said tubular locking memberhaving an overall length which is substantially greater than thetransverse spacing of the said two clamping screws and being providedwith a longitudinally extending slot of sufficient width to receive witha easy clearance fit the shank portions of the said two, transverselyspaced, clamping screws, said slot being closed at one end of saidtubular locking member and said tubular locking member being provided atthe other end thereof with a plurality of sets of holes for receivingthe shackle of a padlock, the two holes comprising each set of theshackle-receiving holes being located at the opposite ends of atransverse diameter of the said tubular locking member and the saidtransverse diameters and the said sets of shackle-receiving holes beingspaced at uniform intervals longitudinally of the said tubular lockingmember and said transverse provided in the said tubular locking member,whereby when said tubular locking member has slid over the heads of thepreviously tightened and longitudinally aligned clamping screws for themotor support bracket, the shackle of a padlock can be passed throughthe two holes comprisingone of said sets of holes, beside the headportion of the clamping screw which is nearest the open end of the slotin the tubular locking member, thereby to lock that member in place, andan auxiliary locking ring for use in conjunction with said tubularlocking member, said auxiliary locking ring consisting of a hollowcylindrical section of such cross sectional form and dimensions thatsaid ring member can be slid over said tubular locking member with aneasy sliding fit, said ring member being of substantially less lengththan said tubular locking member and being provided with alongitudinally extending slot which is open at both ends and which hassubstantially the same width as the longitudinal slot in the saidtubular locking member, said ring member being also provided with aplurality of sets of padlock shackle-receiving holes which are locatedat opposite ends of transverse diameters of the said ring member, andthe said transverse diameters I holes in the said tubular lockingmember.

1. In combination, a locking device for outboard motors which consistsof a one piece, tubular locking member having the form of an elongated,hollow cylinder of such cross sectional dimensions that said tubularlocking member will receive with an easy sliding fit the transverse headportions of the two, transversely spaced, clamping screws whichconstitute a part of the support bracket for the outboard motor withwhich the locking device is to be used, said tubular locking memberhaving an overall length which is substantially greater than thetransverse spacing of the said two clamping screws and being providedwith a longitudinally extending slot of sufficient width to receive witha easy clearance fit the shank portions of the said two, transverselyspaced, clamping screws, said slot being closed at one end of saidtubular locking member and said tubular locking member being provided atthe other end thereof with a plurality of sets of holes for reCeivingthe shackle of a padlock, the two holes comprising each set of theshackle-receiving holes being located at the opposite ends of atransverse diameter of the said tubular locking member and the saidtransverse diameters and the said sets of shackle-receiving holes beingspaced at uniform intervals longitudinally of the said tubular lockingmember and said transverse diameters being rotated relative to thelongitudinal slot provided in the said tubular locking member, wherebywhen said tubular locking member has slid over the heads of thepreviously tightened and longitudinally aligned clamping screws for themotor support bracket, the shackle of a padlock can be passed throughthe two holes comprising one of said sets of holes, beside the headportion of the clamping screw which is nearest the open end of the slotin the tubular locking member, thereby to lock that member in place, andan auxiliary locking ring for use in conjunction with said tubularlocking member, said auxiliary locking ring consisting of a hollowcylindrical section of such cross sectional form and dimensions thatsaid ring member can be slid over said tubular locking member with aneasy sliding fit, said ring member being of substantially less lengththan said tubular locking member and being provided with alongitudinally extending slot which is open at both ends and which hassubstantially the same width as the longitudinal slot in the saidtubular locking member, said ring member being also provided with aplurality of sets of padlock shackle-receiving holes which are locatedat opposite ends of transverse diameters of the said ring member, andthe said transverse diameters and the said sets of shackle-receivingholes being spaced along the central longitudinal axis of said lockingring at non-uniform distances, which distances are within the range ofabout one-half to three-fourths the longitudinal spacing of the sets ofshacklereceiving holes in the said tubular locking member.